The economy struggles and unemployment rates rise. As a result, many Americans are seizing the opportunity to start businesses while existing business owners are trying to cut costs. And both the newcomer and the old pro share a common bond: the need to protect their personal assets.
To help small business owners play it safe, Intuit Inc’s (Nasdaq: INTU) MyCorporation.com is offering free incorporation and Limited Liability Company (LLC) services through July 31. This service, valued at $149, helps both new and established entrepreneurs reduce costs and protect their personal assets. The offer is part of Intuit’s Small Business United, a stimulus program to help America’s entrepreneurs.
Many entrepreneurs don’t realize the importance of incorporating their business. In a recent Intuit survey of nearly 300 small business owners, 51 percent of them said incorporation was not a priority in 2009. This compares to 23 percent who said it was a priority and 26 percent who had already done it.
“The true value of incorporating a business, much like insurance, is often not seen until the business faces a negative situation, including bankruptcy or a legal action,” said Deborah Sweeny, general manager of MyCorporation and lawyer by trade. “Incorporation protects business owners so that their personal assets may not be used to pay the debts of the business. It also helps reduce their taxes and lessens their chance of an audit.”
Over the last few months, more than 3300 small business owners turned to MyCorporation to form their corporation or LLC for free. MyCorporation makes it easy and cost effective for businesses to get started by offering free incorporation services online and eliminating the need to hire an expensive lawyer to process the paperwork.
“I enrolled my new business in a pre-paid legal program but they wanted to charge me a lot extra to incorporate,” said Marielle Saleigh, owner of Finding Home LLC in West Hills, Calif. “I then learned that Intuit offered free incorporation services. The rep at MyCorporation was pleasant and helpful and registered my business as an LLC for free in less than 15 minutes. This was the break I needed to help start my new company.”
Free Incorporation and Other Tools
Business owners can call 1-877-MYCORP-2 (1-877-692-6772) or go to www.mycorporation.com and mention or type in code MYFREE to register their business for free. This free offer saves business owners $149 and will be available until July 31, 2009. It does not include shipping and state filing fees. Entrepreneurs can also go to www.smallbusinessunited.com to get MyCorporation’s free incorporation services and other free Intuit products, such as QuickBooks Simple Start and Intuit Websites, to help them start and grow their businesses.
About MyCorporation
MyCorporation, an Intuit company, is a leading provider of online document filing services for customers who wish to form a corporation or limited liability company. For nearly 10 years, MyCorporation has helped small business customers and real estate investors incorporate their businesses in a reliable and affordable manner. In addition to offering document filing services for online incorporation, MyCorporation also offers trademark searches and applications, copyright registrations, DBA registrations, registered agent services and many more products that help customers protect and maintain the legitimacy of their businesses. My Corporation does not provide legal advice. My Corporation encourages its customers to consult with legal counsel about these matters.
About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax® software, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit’s leading tax preparation software suites for professional accountants. The company’s financial institutions division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers with innovative solutions.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.1 billion in its fiscal year 2008. The company has approximately 8,000 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.